Combined piano and phonograph



" -M. CLARK, DECU.

E. B. CLARK, EXECUTRIX.

COMBINED PIANO AND PHO NOGBAPH.

Z 2 9 1 A 11 m F d .w m a D1 m M W Y A M D H N 0 H A C M Di DI A 2 SHEETS-SHEET lhazy M. CLARK, DEC'D.

E. B. CLARK, EXECUTRIX.

COMBINED PIANO AND PHONOGRAPH.

APPLICATION FILED MAY16,19I9- 1,406,441, Patented Feb. 14, 1922,

2 S EET 2.

III

u n D I:

antral) STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MELVILLE CLARK, DECEASED, LATE OF CI-IIOAGO, ILLINOIS, BY ELIZABETH B. CLARK, EXIEO'UTRIX, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE APOLLO PIANO COMPANY, OF DEKALB, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

COMBINED PIANO AND IHONOGRAPI-I.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Fl 14 1922 Application filed May 16, 1919. Serial No. 297,490.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ELIZABETH B. CLARK, a citizen of the United States, residin at Chicago, in the county of Cook and tate of Illinois, am the executrix of the last will and testime-nt of MELVILLE CLARK, deceased, late a resident of Chicago, Illinois, who had invented new and useful Improvements in Combined Pianos and P'honographs, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The purpose-of this invention 1s to provide an improved construction of a phonograph combined with a piano and contained Within the casing thereof. It consists in the elements and features of construction shown and described as indicated in the claims.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a piano embodying this invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the phonograph mechanism contained in the piano case, showing certain parts of the piano case and mechanism for the purpose of indicating the relative location of the phonograph in the case.

Figure 3 is a vertical section at the hue 33 on Figure 2.

The specific purpose of the construction shown in the drawings is to adapt the phono graph mechanism to be mounted in the.

1 piano case so as to position the record carrier and the record thereon within the space which is usually available in front of the hammer action, instead of as has heretofore been generally considered necessary, at such position that the record carrier and record stand in the Wider space available within the case above the hammer action. For the purpose ofso positioning the record carrier and record, the mechanism is designed and constructed to have the record carrier in an oblique position, sloping up rearward and presenting the face of\ the record to theview of the listener standing in front of the piano, which is a distinct advantage in itself because of the greater facility with which the records may be applied and removed and the sound box adjusted thereto for playing.

The general construction of the phono- 1,246,058, dated November 13, 1917; and only so much of the structure is designed to be illustrated and described-here as is necessery to present the particular features which aremodified from that construction in order to accomplish the purpose of the present invention.

The drawings show; a piano case, 1, containing an automatic player action which is indicated by the tracker box, 2, With a tracker, 3, and with note sheet carrying rolls, 4 and 5,.therein. The roll operating mechanism is indicated by the outline of the frame thereof, shown at 6 at the right hand end of the tracker box. A shaft, 7, extending behind the tracker box is to be understood as connected with the train of the roll operating mechanism. This shaft communicates power for actuating the record carrier of the phonograph mechanism which is carried in the space available in the piano case at the left hand end of the tracker box of the automatic piano playing mechanism, and in front. of the hammer action of the piano indicated by thehammer rest rail, 9, and hammers, 10, shown in the customary position with respect to the other parts mentioned of the automatic or player piano. The feature which distinguishes the present invention is the location of the record carrier, 12, of the phonograph in an oblique position inclined rearwardly so as to expose the record thereon, facing forward and upward, through the aperture, 14, formed in the front of the piano case for giving access tothephonograph. 13 is a door for closing this opening, conveniently hinged at its lower edge for swinging down forward to open,'and provided with means for holding it horizontal at open position so that it constitutes a shelf upon which the records may be temporarily lodged when changing the records on the record carrier. For mounting the record carrier in the oblique position described and supporting the carrier operating mechanism, a frame, 15, is provided mounted upon the foundation board, 3, (though this particular method of supporting it is not essential). The power communicating shaft, 7, extending behind the tracker box from the note sheet operatin graph mechanism and the means for rotatmotor train situated at the opposite end 0' ing the record is substantially that which is the shown in United States Letters Patent No.

tracker box obtains bearing in this frame, 15, and carries upon its left hand end -wardly and forwardly as clearly seen in travel longitudinally upon it and thereby Figure 3. A means for modifying the speed of the rotation of the record carr1er is shown similar to that which is contained in United States Letters Patent No. 1,246,053, dated such results and to overcome 'the defect which the liability to these results would constitute, a, counterbalance for the tone arm November 13, 1917, consisting in mounting\and sound box is provided by furnishing the with a hand-wheel, 24, by which they may betrotated to cause the threaded sleeve to cause the forked arm to similarly slide the friction pulley, 17, along the shaft, 18, to vary the distance from the center of the fr ction disk, 16, at which said pulley 1S frict'ionally engaged. The amplifier or horn mouth, 20, is mounted as shown in United States Letters Patent No. 1,246,053, dated November 13, 1917, upon the tracker box and opening into the latter for discharging the sound out through the tracker box past the note sheet and note sheet carrying rolls therein. This horn has its forward end extended to a point above the obliquely positioned record carrier and the elbow, 31, is swivelled for turning in the smaller end of the horn for carrying the sound box, 35, at the end of the tone arm, 36, across the face of the record in the usual relation thereto for reproducing the sound recorded onthe record. It will be understood that the tone arm is pivoted to the elbow as indicated by the pivot, 36*, to permit the disengagement of the stylus, 37 of the sound box from the face of the record, and permitting it to be en aged by gravity therewith for playing.

pon considerlng the relation of the tone arm and sound box to the inclined record which results by thus inclining the record carrier, it will be seen that when the tone arm is pivoted at the swivelled connection of the elbow with the small end of the horn in proper position to cause the stylus to move across the record in a direction substantially radial thereto, as it should for proper reproduction at all points of its path, the center of gravity of the tone arm and sound box, that is, of the structurewhich is mounted for pivotal movement about the axis of the swivelled joint between the elbow and the horn, will tend to assume a position in the vertical fore-and-aft plane through said swivel axis, and that therefore at every other elbow, 31, with a rigid extension, 32, above andbehind the swivel axis, said extension being Weighted to substantially counterbalance the tone arm and sound box at the other side of the axis, so as to cause the entire structure which swings about'said swivel axis to be balanced at all the positions within the range of its swing about thataxis, and. thus to be balanced as to any tendency to swing for causing the stylus to travel across the record so that as to liability to move or as to the facility of its movement in either direction, it is as neutral as if the said swivel axis were vertical and the record positioned horizontally.

It has been found that for the most efficient reproduction of sound records, particularly those of the hill and valley type, the weight or force with which the stylus is to the character of the record and to the total mass which is exposed to movement from the undulations of the record. Possibly no definite law could be stated or ascertained as to the proper relation of the weight to the various characteristics and features of the record; but any skillful operator will readily ascertain what adjustment of weight is best for any given record if the instrument is'provided with means of adjusting the weight. For this urpose there is provided the tone arm witli means for carrying a weight which may be adjusted along its support so as to vary the operative weight or pressure of the stylus upon the record. The positioning of the support for such an adjustable weight is a comparatively simple matter when the record is horizontal and the tone arm is consequently pivoted so that the movement of the stylus is directly upvious that the adjustment of a weight along the tone arm which would ordinarily sufiice for the purpose indicated, would be ineffective or inaccurately effective, because such adjustment would interfere with the counter-balancing of the tone arm about the swivel axis about which it swings for travelling across the record. In this construction, however, that is, having the record inclined an adjustment of a weight for modifying the pressure of the stylus upon the record can be obtained without interfering with the counterbalance of the tone arm about the swivel axis, if such adjustable weight is mounted for adjustment along the line of the swivel axis produced, so that at all positions in its adjustment along that line it is itself counterbalanced with respect to that axis. For the purpose indicated, therefore, there is extended from the tone arm a rigid lug or bracket, 36, overhanging the swivel axis and in the line of said swivel axis produced, there is extended from said overhanging bracket or lug a threaded rod or stem, 36, upon which there is mounted a circular axially-threaded weight, 38, which may be screwed up and down on the rod with the effect of varying the pressure of stylus upon the record by virtue of the fact that the farther the weight-is moved up along the rod, the farther it is thereby moved forward from the vertical line of the pivot of the tone arm to the elbow and greater leverage is thereby obtained for downward pressure upon the free end of the tone arm.

I claim 1. In a phonograph in combination with a flat rotatively mounted record carrier having its flat record-supporting surface in a non-horizontal position, a sound-reproducing device and a tone arm on one end of which it isparried for swinging over the record on said non-horizontal support, a pivotal support for said tone arm positioned outside the circumference of the record carrier at the upper side thereof, said tone arm having an extension beyond said pivotal support weighted to counterbalance said tone arm about the axis of said support, the tone arm being jointed at the'side of said axis toward the sound-reproducing device for movement of said tone arm and soundreproducing device toward and from the record, and having an extension at the side of said joint toward the sound-reproducing device back over said joint to a point in the line of the pivotal axis of the tone arm and thence upward and along the line of said axis, and a weight mounted on said extension for movement along the line of the axis.

2. In a phonograph in combination with a flat rota-tively mounted record carrier having its flat recording surface in a non-horizontal position, a sound-reproducing device and a tone, arm on one end of which it is carried for swinging over the record; a pivotal support for said tone arm about which it performs said swinging movement, the tone arm being jointed between said pivotal support and the sound box for movement of the sound box toward and from the record, and having an arm extending at the side of said joint toward the sound box back over said joint to a point in the line of the pivotal axis-of the tone arms movement for swinging over the record, and thence upward and along the line of said axis, and a weight mounted on said extension for movement thereon along the line of said axis.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Chicago, Illinois, this 1st day of May, 1919.

ELIZABETH B. CLARK, Ewecutm'w of the will of Mebville C'Zarlc,

deceased. 

